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91

Game GearThe Video Game Critic

The control scheme is identical to Castlevania - one button jumps and the other attacks, and pushing up while firing engages your special weapon. With the exception of navigating the stairs, the control is right on the money. Even the music is sinister and well orchestrated. Vampire is really an amazing game, and probably one of the best titles for the Game Gear. I only wish a password feature was included so it wasn't always necessary to start from the beginning.

With the challenging factor aside, Master of Darkness was probably one of the better clones of Castlevania on a console which doesn’t start with the letter N and ends with intendo. All in all, it was a solid platformer for the Master System with a decent challenge, and atmosphere to boot.

If you like action games with a hint of adventure tossed in, this is one cartridge that you can't pass up. Master of Darkness takes platforming and adds nice little touches of exploration combined with a classic storyline to deliver one of the most pleasurable experiences on the Sega Master System!

Overall, Master Of Darkness is a fun action/adventure that, while drawing comparisons to Castlevania due to its control scheme and subject matter, has enough originality to help it stand apart from your average Castlevania clone. It's certainly worth a look if you're a Castlevania fan, or if you just want a really good game for your SMS (or Game Gear, for that matter).